Historical Fiction
Another fantastic book by Bryce Courtenay. Six year old Tom Fitzsaxby finds a dog barely alive and saves it. Tom lives at the Boy's Farm, an orphanage in Northern South Africa. This part of SA is very Boer and vehemently anti-English. Tom befriends the 'pig boy' who is a Zulu. The dog if found will be drowned. Tom is almost sexually abused to keep his dog a secret. The Zulu is the person who saves him but he later pays with his life.
The story is about Tom's life as an outsider and a non-racist. First the school is rife with abuse and Tom is the focal point for the hatred for the English. Courtenay portrays South Africa from WW II to about the 1960s. The story is riveting but the history is equally interesting. Tom is an intelligent compassionate young man who only wants justice.
Rating: 
(4.5/5)
2 comments:
I absolutely loved the only Courtenay book I've ever read, The Power of One. Have you read its sequel? I think it's called Tandia?
Tandia is fantastic. Courtenay is my fav author. I have not read a book of his I did not thoroughly enjoy.
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